‘Old fashioned’: Pujara ton gives India narrow edge

CHETESHWAR Pujara's painstaking and brave century gave India a narrow lead on the second day of the fourth Test after England off-spinner Moeen Ali took five wickets at Southampton.

Pujara's near six-hour 132 not out was the cornerstone of India's 273, made in reply to England's first-innings 246.

Ali took five wickets for 63 runs in 16 overs - his second successive five-wicket innings haul in a Test against India at Southampton following a return of 6-67 in 2014.

Alastair Cook and Keaton Jennings batted out four overs as England reached stumps on six without loss in their second innings - a deficit of 21 runs.

Ali told Sky Sports: "At one stage they were 140 for two going well, and so to bowl them out just 20-odd runs ahead is fantastic.

"I have nice memories from the last Test I played here, which helps as well."

Pujara was on 78 when Ali struck twice in two balls to leave India, 2-1 down in the five-match series after their 203-run win at Trent Bridge last week, on 8-195.

Ishant Sharma survived the hat-trick at the start of Ali's next over before he too fell to the all-rounder.

Pujara, then on 96, now had only No.11 Jasprit Bumrah for company. But a swept two off Ali took him to 99 and he then survived the bowler's review for lbw after third umpire Joel Wilson ruled he had been playing a shot.

Pujara and India captain Virat Kohli (46) rebuilt the innings with a third-wicket stand of 92.

But after lunch, Sam Curran, who had already marked his return to the team with a Test-best 78 that rescued England from the depths of 6-86 on Thursday, dismissed Kohli, who during his innings passed 6000 runs in Tests.

The 20-year-old Surrey left-arm swing bowler angled a delivery across star batsman Kohli who, in a rare error, pushed away from his body and saw the ensuing edge well caught low at first slip by Cook.

Curran was unlucky to make way for the returning Ben Stokes at Trent Bridge. A minor recurrence of all-rounder Stokes's knee injury led to doubts over his ability to bowl at Southampton and a fresh rejig of England's team.

But the paceman's first legitimate delivery on Friday had Pujara, on 50, edging just beyond Buttler's grasp.

Stokes had better luck when a desperately close call for a no-ball went his way after he had Ajiknya Rahane lbw for 11.

Pujara suffered a painful blow when he missed an intended hook off Stokes, with the batsman needing several minutes of on-field treatment as medical staff checked for concussion.

Ali removed Rishabh Pant and Hardik Pandya either side of tea. Ravichandran Ashwin then inexplicably tried to reverse sweep his opposing off-spinner and played on, before Ali's next ball clean-bowled Mohammed Shami.